Mist Rising by Eve Langlais
Chapter Eleven
While Agathe dealtwith the dizziness that befell her after breaking the Vhampir’s hold, Hiix cursed.
“Is it dead?” She poked the head with the tip of her sword.
“I don’t know.” Agathe wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Think he’ll die?” Hiix pointed to Baree, slumped on the ground, his breathing shallow. How much blood had the thing taken?
“Better hope not. It might draw attention. Help me get him inside.” She sheathed her sword to grab one of his arms.
“What about that thing?”
“I’d say making sure the King’s lieutenant doesn’t die in our care is more important.”
“People will assume monsters got him if he disappears.”
“We aren’t killers.” Agathe wouldn’t admit a slight fondness for the man.
“Not sure what we can do to help him,” grumbled Hiix, helping her drag him inside.
“We have to do something.”
Hiix eyed her. “Are you implying we should unleash the brat on him?”
Agathe bit her lip. “He would never know.”
“The question being, is her magic charged enough?” Her eyes were a steady purple right now, not the white-hot after a kill or the brown that indicated she was drained.
“We don’t need to turn back time or close a wound. Just deal with some blood loss.”
“I’ll get the brat while you set the monster on fire.”
Arguing would just waste time. It wasn’t as if she could do much for Baree. Agathe grabbed a can of oil and a flint before going back onto the ledge. The lights by the door barely pushed back the mist.
The body remained on the ground and was quickly doused and set afire. The flames licked at the corpse, and the fog retreated at the heat. She aimed for the head next, sightless and even more strange now that it was dead.
Just as she poured the oil on it, another creature appeared, human-like in appearance but crawling, its skin mottled, teeth rotting. One eye was milky white and unseeing. It scuttled for the head.
“Oh no, you don’t.” As its gnarled fingers went to grab, she kicked the creature.
It grunted rather than cry in pain, even as the blow sent it toppling. It came back quick, hissing and reaching for her. She threw the oil at it, splashing the thing. The flint missed on her first strike, and the monster was on her, sending her to the ground. But she’d learned how to fight. She tucked her knees to her chest and shoved the thing when it would have pounced on top.
Before it could tackle her once more, the flint sparked, the oil lit, and the monster finally screamed. In rage.
It grabbed the burning Vhampir head and scrabbled its way to the edge. Having no idea if it could heal from such damage, Agathe had no choice but to block it and herd it against the stone wall, watching it burn, hearing it sizzle, and gagging at the stench.
When Hiix emerged, she brought kindling, which they tossed onto the fire to ensure it burned down to ash. There were no more monsters that night.
The next morning, Baree woke, lying naked beside Agathe in bed. He sat up quickly and yelled, only to trail off as he said, “What happened?”
Agathe pretended to stretch and yawn as she said, “Hopefully, the same thing this morning as happened last night.”
“I mean with the Vhampir.”
“The what?” she asked, doing her best to look and sound confused.
He blinked and looked around. “The bell.”
“What about it?”
“It rang in the night.”
“No, it didn’t.”
“I heard it! And so did you.”
She snorted and lied. “The only thing ringing last night was me, screaming in pleasure.”
The compliment didn’t distract him as intended.
“I could have sworn…” He shut his mouth and rose, looking confused as he dressed. At breakfast, he didn’t say much and cast a few glances at Hiix.
It was only as he prepared to depart and the door opened that he said, “I smell smoke.”
Agathe didn’t blink at all as she said, “Disposing of the trash.”
His lips flattened.
She faked a smile and put a hand on his arm. “Don’t take so long to visit again. It was so nice seeing you.”
“Yeah. Nice.” He stalked off, and she shut the door then leaned against it. She could only hope he’d go a few years before returning. Or better yet, not come back at all.
Because she’d really hate to have to kill him if he ever figured out their secret.
